I didn't understand the importance of BMI until last year around this time. It was getting cold and I couldn't fit into any of my jeans. I figured I had gained a couple of pounds, but when I got on the scale, it turned out I gained over 20 in less than a year. I was surprised by the number, but I couldn't bring myself to care. That is, until the day I decided to check my BMI with a BMI calculator.

What if there was one thing you could do to lessen the likelihood that your child would get involved with smoking, drinking or doing drugs; lessen his/her chance of developing obesity; and help him/her do better in school? What if that thing was as simple as having regular family dinners together?

The Corn Refiners Association currently has two TV commercials abut the consumption of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).  In this commercial we view a backyard party where two moms get to talking.

When my godson John was five or so, he decided to become a basketball star. What, I asked, would it take to become a basketball star? He considered a moment, then answered, "Well, I guess I'd have to make a lot of baskets." Oh, right. Make a lot of baskets. With a five year old's essential wisdom, that is what it takes to be a basketball star. Practice would help, so would hard work and height and tenacity and talent. But in the end, make a lot of baskets and you've got a shot. (Ahem.) And that's how the diet blog "Escape from Obestity" strikes me, as one essential truth after another, thinking that applies whether 15 or 150 pounds imprisons our bodies, what Lyn, the blog's thoughtful author, calls her 'hellish nightmare'. Here are some samples. On how to lose weight, read ~~ January 1, 2008: 248 Pounds ~~ Sample: "STOP EATING SO MUCH AND START MOVING."